United States of America (U.S) -based human rights and self-determination advocacy organizations has strongly condemned recent remarks by Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu equating the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) with Boko Haram.
In a joint statement signed by Ambassador Sylvester Onye on behalf of AVID (Advocates for Victims of Injustice and Discrimination), Rising Sun, and Ambassadors for Self-Determination, the coalition described the president’s comments as reckless, prejudicial, and a direct assault on the rule of law.
“This statement is not only sub judice but also a blatant attempt to poison the atmosphere of justice, intimidate the judiciary, and prejudice ongoing proceedings against IPOB and its leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu,” the groups said.
The coalition stressed that IPOB remains a non-violent self-determination movement, noting that the comparison to Boko Haram is “false, inflammatory, and deliberately misleading.”
“Rather than fixating on IPOB, President Tinubu should confront the real threats—terrorists and armed bandits—who continue to devastate farmlands, displace communities, and massacre innocent Nigerians with impunity,” the statement continued.
The groups accused successive Nigerian governments of persecuting Kanu, warning that such actions only strengthen his popularity and global standing.
“Envy of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu’s popularity will never succeed in silencing him. Every additional day of his unlawful detention magnifies his status and deepens the loyalty of millions of supporters at home and abroad,” the coalition declared.
Invoking historical struggles, the groups compared Kanu’s resilience to that of the Eboe Landing martyrs, asserting that “the persecuted always outlive their persecutors.”
The coalition urged the U.S. Congress, the Department of State, and the wider international community to condemn what it described as ethnic persecution disguised as national security.
“We call on world leaders to reject Tinubu’s reckless rhetoric, demand the unconditional release of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, and hold Nigeria’s political elites accountable for systemic violations of human rights,” the statement said.
Concluding, the groups warned that Tinubu’s approach will only backfire:
“The more IPOB is persecuted and Mazi Nnamdi Kanu detained, the stronger and more unshakable both become. No prison walls, no courtroom manipulations, and no propaganda can extinguish the light of truth.”
